The coal sector has exhibited highest growth of 11.6 % (provisional)
among the eight core industries for the month of February 2024 as per the Index
of Eight Core Industries (ICI)) (Base Year 2011-12) released by Ministry of
Commerce & Industries. The index of coal industry has reached 212.1 points
during Feb’24 as compared to 190.1 points during the same period of last year
and its cumulative index has increased by 12.1% during April to February,
2023-24 over corresponding period of the previous year.
The ICI measures the
combined and individual production performance of eight core industries, viz.
cement, coal, crude oil, electricity, fertilizers, natural gas, refinery
products, and steel.
The Combined Index of Eight Core Industries experienced 6.7% increase in
February 2024, compared to the same period of previous year.
The coal industry has consistently outperformed demonstrating sustained
double-digit growth over the past eight months and substantially higher growth
than the overall growth of eight core industries in last two financial years.
The driving force behind this remarkable growth can be attributed to a significant surge in coal production during February 2024, with output reaching 96.60 million tonnes, marking an increase of 11.83% compared to the same period in the previous year.